How Is Your Perceived Brand Quality Actually Achieved?

In business life, there can sometimes be a disconnect between what you offer your customers, and how they perceive your business to be. For example, a prestigious brand might last on the comforts of their earned goodwill for years before customers begin noticing that the quality has deteriorated - you need only look to examples like Boeing for that.

So, to say there can sometimes be a difference between brand quality and perceived quality isn’t necessarily incorrect. It may even seem like a good idea to have a better-perceived quality than actual quality, but this can only cause you reputational damage in the long term - such as restaurants that coast on the prestigious reputation of the celebrity chef who opened it, only for the product to be overpriced and less tasty than expected.

But this limits an essential point - how is your perceived brand quality actually achieved? In this post, we’ll discuss all of that and more:

The Quality of Your Suppliers

The sign of a business spiraling is when they cut the costs so intensely that the final quality of your product is denigrated. You might save a bit of cash by going for cheaper options, but if that affects the final product, people will start to question what’s going on. In the long run, investing in good suppliers can actually save you money by reducing issues with returns, complaints, or repairs. That goes no matter if you’re running a small local business, or using quality suppliers such as Pilot John International to sustain international enterprise. This approach keeps customers happy, and happy customers are repeat customers.

The Relative Position of Your Competitors

The companies we are most associated with or compete against tell a pretty capable story about your brand quality or perceptions. To use fast food as an example, Five Guys is generally considered superior to places such as Burger King, but Burger King is generally considered better price to value as a ratio, as the former often charges outlandish prices for a meal, despite their better quality. This shows that sometimes, companies that may offer an objectively less impressive product than you could be winning in the perception war from most consumers. Keeping that in mind is key as you continue to develop and cement your place in the market.

The Clientele You Target

Of course, who you’re aiming your product or service at also plays a big role in perceived quality, even if you’re not necessarily only providing to those customers. Let’s say you’re selling high-end luxury products. Your customers are probably going to expect a certain level of exclusivity, not just in the product itself, but in the experience that comes with it. Or that might be what you think. It’s also true that in some cases, such as luxury fashion brands, they’re actually preferred by those of a different social class and income level than those they target in their advertisements. This can then influence associations on top of your brand quality. It’s important to be mindful of how your brand is perceived no matter what direction you go in, so you can more easily move this to your advantage.

With this advice, you’re certain to better understand your perceived brand quality going forward, and use it to your benefit.